19 years ago, Leo Jindrak set up the art café in his pastry shop on Herrenstrasse in Linz. The Leondinger implemented an idea of the Linz actress Eva-Maria Shata-Aichner in the family business. She saw the chance that people with an affinity for art could look at pictures without having to go to a gallery. In addition, an art café could be a meeting place for artists. Jindrak took up this suggestion.
Astrid Esslinger’s current exhibition “Room Climate” shows that the idea fell on fertile ground. It’s the 54th exhibition at the Kunstcafé, and it bears a bit of the signature of the new curator, Susanne Purviance. She mainly wants to support female artists “because they are still underrepresented,” as the artist says in the OÖN interview.
Purviance has taken over from fellow artist Robert Oltay, who is retiring after 53 joint exhibitions with Jindrak. “It was a wonderful time,” says Oltay and is pleased that the art café has been successfully established – as a place that would function as an interface between public and closed space. “Here, the audience gets up close and personal with art.”
Looking back, it was particularly gratifying that pictures from individual exhibitions were even sold as far away as the USA. The connection between tourism and art is evident here. Because Jindrak is the starting point for tourist tours through the city, because the Linzer Torte is made here using the original recipe. Oltay remembers that this is how Linz visitors became aware of the pictures by artists that were exhibited in the art café.
Jindrak, who runs the pastry shop in the third generation, is interested in art and wants to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the art café on Herrenstrasse next year. His new curator will have a say in how.
Author
Reinhold Gruber
Local Editor Linz
Reinhold Gruber
